Penholder



Dec. 17, 1940.

TRAYLOR, JR

PENHOLDER Filed June 8, 1940 glwucmm ASE/ruled WJFa LL; "fig Patented Dec. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to penholders of the type in which a cup is provided for receiving and supporting a pen in a generally upright position.

An important object of my invention is to provide a penholder of the above character in which a heavy liquid of the nature of mercury having a high surface tension fills the bottom of the cup and in which the point of the penis immersed when supported within the cup, the liquid serving to surround without wetting the pen point and thereby maintaining the point bright and clean. The immersion of the pen point in the liquid prevents access of air thereto, so that the drying and consequent caking of the residual ink upon the point is avoided. When the penholder is employed in conjunction with a fountain pen to support the latter in upright position, the liquid serves the additional function of sealing the lower end of'the pen and overcoming the tendency of ink to flow downwardly from the barrel onto the pen point, thus conserving the supply of ink within the pen and avoiding fouling the cup.

Another object of my invention is to provide a penholder of the above character in which the heavy liquid occupying the bottom of the cup is immiscible with the ink so that the ink wiped from the pen point each time the pen is dipped into the liquid, rises and collects upon thesurface of the liquid from Where it is caused to overflow into a well or chamber suitably provided therefor.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a penholder of the above character in which the pen cup is associated with the well in a manner such that it may be conveniently removed from the well for cleaning.

The invention has as another object to provide a penholder in which the well associated with the 40 'pen cup is adapted to contain 'a supply of ink,

the arrangement being such that upon depositing the pen within the cup ink is forced therefrom into the well, and upon withdrawing the pen from the cup ink flows thereinto to wet the pen point.

Further objects and advantages willbe apparent from the following detailed description of certain preferred embodiments of my invention, reference being had to the annexed drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a penholder including a pen cup and a well surv rounding the pen cup;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional View of the pen cup forming part of the penholder of Fig. 1; and

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a modification of the penholder of Fig. 1 in which the penholder forms part of an inkstand.

Referring to the drawing, in Fig. 1 is illustrated a penholder comprising a flat base I adapted to rest upon a desk or table, a tubular receptacle 2 open at its upper end and a swivel fastening 3 connecting the receptacle to the base. A pen 10 cup 4 of slightly tapered form, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, is adapted to fit within the receptacle 2. The open upper end of the cup is flared so as to provide a rim 5 adapted to fit over and rest upon the correspondingly flared rim of the receptacle. The rim 5 has a dependent flange 6 which encircles and snugly engages the rim of the receptacle to prevent the cup from tilting or wobbling within the receptacle. The cup 4 serves to receive and retain a pen 1 in a generally upright position while the receptacle 2 provides a well surrounding the cup.

Filling the bottom of the pen cup is a small amount of mercury 8 in which the point of the pen is immersed when the pen is supported within the cup. Mercury having, a high surface tension (approximately 540 dynes per centimeter) does not wet the steel or iridium point of the pen and, as is characteristic of this liquid, forms an upwardly convex meniscus as indicated at 9 in Fig. 2. Because the mercury does not wet the pen point and because it is immiscible with ink, each time the pen point is dipped into the mercury the point is rubbed free of adhering ink or dirt which then rises to the top of the mercury.

A plurality of drain holes III are provided in the wall of the pen cup about on a level with the top of the mercury when the volume of mercury is displaced upwardly by the immersion of the pen point therein. The globules of ink that rise to the top of the mercury roll off the curved meniscus into these drain holes where they pass into and collect at the bottom of the receptacle 2, as indicated at l I. Because of its high surface tension, or internal molecular cohesion, the mercury will not flow through the drain holes should its level rise above such holes, provided the drain holes are not too large.

When it is desired to clean the penholder, it is only necessary that the pen cup 4 be lifted out of the receptacle 2 and the latter then washed free of the ink that may have collected therein.

As will .be apparent/from the foregoing description, the dipping of the pen in the pool of mercury wipes the pen point free from adhering ink and dirt and maintains the point clean so that no preliminary priming of the point, such as heretofore has been frequently necessary to get the pen into writing condition, is required. Because the mercury entirely surrounds the pen point and excludes air therefrom, such small residual film of ink that may cling to the pen point is precluded from rapidly drying, such as causes it to cake upon and corrode the metal and thus interfere with the writing properties of the pen. In the case of a fountain pen, the mercury seals the bottom of the pen to prevent ink from leaking from the barrel orsac onto its point, such as ordinarily occurs when the pen is supported in an upright position over extended periods of time. By the statement that the mercury does not Wet the pen point is meant that the mercury does not adhere to or coat the surface of such point as in the case of ink or other liquids of low surface tension.

As previously has been explained, the ink and dirt wiped from the pen point rise to the top of the mercury and fiow off through the drain holes 8 into thebottom of the receptacle 2, from which such deposits may be emptied from time to time. Because the mercury does not evaporate or cling to the pen point when the pen is withdrawn from the cup, the supply of mercury will last indefinitely. Also because mercury is immiscible with ink it does not readily become discolored, and in any event its bright metallic appearance may be readily restored by simply washing the mercury with water. Because mercury forms an amalgam with gold, the pen point should be made of a metal other than gold or gold alloy.

In Fig. 3 is shown another embodiment of the invention. In this construction the penholder forms part of an inkstand 20 which may be molded from a plastic composition or hard rubber or which may be made of metal. The inkstand comprises a base 2| extending up from which adjacent one end is a cylindrical housing 22 the upper end of which is closed by a cover 23. Upon the bottom of the housing is a ledge 24 projecting up from which are a series of sharp projections 25. By introducing a can of ink 26 within the housing and pressing it down upon the projections, the latter penetrate the can and produce perforations through which the ink flows out of the can.

The base 2| is formed so as to provide a closed channel 21 extending from the bottom of the housing to the top of a well 28 located in the forward end of the base. Removably seated within an opening 29 within the base and extending downwardly into the well is a pen cup 30. This pen cup, which corresponds in all essential respects to the pen cup previously described in connection with the embodiment of Fig. 1, is of generally cylindrical shape throughout the main portion of its length but terminating in a tapered portion 300. which seats within a centering depression 30b in the bottom of the well. The cup is of such a size as to receive the writing end of a pen and support the pen in an upright position. Contained within the bottom of the pen cup is a small amount of mercury 3| within which the point of the pen is immersed when the pen is resting in the cup. Intermediate the height of the pen cup is a circumferential screen 32 forming part of the wall and providing communication between the cup and the surrounding Well. This'screen extends to a position above the top of the well but does not project exteriorly of the inkstand.

A can of ink 26 being inserted in the housing and forced down upon the projections 25, ink as indicated at 33, flows through the channel 21 into the well 28 until its level, as determined by atmospheric pressure, is slightly above the top of the well and intermediate the top and bottom of the area of the pen cup covered by the screen 32. When the pen is dipped into the pen cup and into the mercury 3| filling its bottom, the level of the mercury is displaced upwardly and the ink overlying its upper surface is consequently caused to fiow off through the screenbecause of the convex shape of the meniscusand this ink drains back into the well 28.

The pen when not in use remains immersed in the mercury and protected against the access of air to the metal pen point as has already been explained in connection with the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2. The mercury also in rising above the upper level of the screen 32 closes the screen and prevents air from reaching the ink within the Well such as would result in the rapid evaporation and loss of the ink. However, when the pen is withdrawn from the cup, the level of the mercury lowers until it is below the level of the ink within the well so that ink fiows into the cup through the screen to wet the pen point. The pen thus becomes coated with a film of ink ready for writing.

By the use of the inkstand just described, the pen point is cleaned each time it is'dipped into the mercury, is protected against the atmosphere by the surrounding body of mercury when the pen is not in use, and is instantly recoated with a thin film of ink as the pen is withdrawn from the cup. Sediment formed in the ink or dirt wiped from the pen point is free to settle into the bottom of the well 28. The well, together with other parts of the inkstand, may be cleaned from time to time by simply removing the ink can 26 and the pen cup 30 and washing with water. If desired the cover 23 closing the housing 22 may be provided with an ornamental device as indicated at 34.

It will be apparent that I have provided an ink holder of simple construction, which operates to maintain the pen in a clean writing condition and which protects the pen against corrosion when not in use.

While mercury has been specifically mentioned in the foregoing description as an example of the heavy liquid filling the bottom of the pen cup, being especially well-suited to the invention because of its high surface tension and non-wetting characteristics and its capability of forming a meniscus convex upwards, it is possible that other liquids having the same general properties as mercury might be employed. For example, alloys of mercury so long as their surface tension is not too greatly reduced will, in most cases, serve as satisfactory substitutes for pure mercury. V

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiment is therefore to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A penholder comprising a cup for receiving and supporting a pen in an upright position and a pool of non-evaporating liquid of high surface tension confined within the cup and adapted to surround without wetting the point of the pen and exclude air therefrom, said liquid being composed in major part of mercury.

2. A penholder comprising a cup for receiving and supporting a pen in an upright position and a pool of mercury confined within the cup and adapted to surround without wetting the point of the pen and exclude air therefrom.

3'. A penholder comprising a cup for receiving and supporting a pen in an upright position, a pool of mercury confined within the cup and adapted to surround without wetting the point of the pen and exclude air therefrom, and drain openings through the wall of the cup located adjacent the level of the mercury when the latter is displaced upwardly by dipping a pen therein to permit the outflow of ink from the cup.

4. A penholder comprising a cup for receiving and supporting a pen in an upright position, a pool of mercury confined within the cup and adapted to surround without wetting the point of the pen and exclude air therefrom, a receptacle contiguous to said cup, and drain openings through the wall of the cup located adjacent the level of the mercury when the latter is displaced upwardly by dipping a pen therein to permit the outflow of ink from the cup into the receptacle.

5. A penholder comprising a cup for receiving and supporting a pen in an upright position, a pool of mercury confined within the cup and adapted to surround without wetting the point of the pen and exclude air therefrom, a receptacle surrounding the cup, and drain openings through the wall of the cup located adjacent the level of the mercury when the latter is displaced upwardly by dipping a pen therein to permit the outflow of ink from the cup into the receptacle.

6. A penholder comprising a cup for receiving and supporting a pen in an upright position, a pool of mercury confined within the cup and adapted to surround without wetting the point of the pen and exclude air therefrom, a receptacle surrounding the cup and adapted to contain ink, and drain openings through the wall of the cup, said drain openings together forming a perforated area extending from above to below the normal level of the ink in the receptacle, whereby dipping the pen into the mercury displaces ink from the cup into the receptacle and removing the pen from the mercury permits ink to flow from the receptacle into the cup.

7. A penholder comprising a cup for receiving and supporting a pen in an upright position, a pool of mercury confined within the cup and adapted to surround without wetting the point of the pen and exclude air therefrom, a receptacle surrounding the cup and adapted to contain ink, a screen provided in the wall of the cup, said screen extending from above to below the normal level of the ink in the receptacle, whereby dipping the pen into the mercury displaces ink from the cup into the receptacle and removing the pen from the mercury permits ink to fiow from the receptacle into the cup, and means for supplying ink to the receptacle.

8. A penholder comprising a cup for receiving and supporting a pen in an upright position, a pool of mercury confined within the cup and adapted to surround without wetting the point of the pen and exclude air therefrom, a receptacle surrounding the cup and adapted to contain ink, a screen provided in the Wall of the cup, said screen extending from above to below the normal level of the ink in the receptacle, whereby dipping the pen into the mercury displaces ink from the cup into the receptacle and removing the pen from the mercury permits ink to flow from the receptacle into the cup, a housing for receiving a container having a supply of ink, and a channel communicating between housing and receptacle for gravitationally supplying ink to said receptacle from said housing.

9. A penholder comprising a cup for receiving and supporting a pen in an upright position, a pool of mercury confined within the cup and adapted to surround without wetting the point of the pen and exclude air therefrom, a receptacle surrounding the cup and adapted to contain ink, a screen provided in the wall of the cup, said screen extending from above to below the normal level of the ink in the receptacle, whereby dipping the pen into the mercury displaces ink from the cup into the receptacle and removing the pen from the mercury permits ink to flow from the receptacle into the cup, a housing for receiving a metal container having a sup-ply of ink, means within the housing for piercing an end of the container when the latter is forced down thereupon to allow the fiow of ink from the container, and a channel communicating between the housing and receptacle for gravitationally supplying ink to said receptacle from said housing.

SAMUEL W. TRAYLOR, JR. 

